Mix 4 eggs with 1.5 cups sugar until sugar is dissolved and is thick
Add 1/2 cup vegetable oil and mix until blended well.
Add 1 generous teaspoon of vanilla and mix
Add 2 cups plain flour, 4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt and mix.
Add the juice and zest of two lemons, two Tablespoons of poppyseeds and mix well until well combined.
Meanwhile, thinly slice a lemon and add to a pot with 1/2 cup sugar and about 1/4 cup water. Simmer until lemons begin to soften. Reserve the water.

In the bottom of your cake tin (oiled and floured) sprinkle some sugar on the bottom then Lay the sliced lemons that were cooked in sugar water, then add some extra sugar. Top with the cake mix and bake cake for about 50 minutes in 180C oven.

Once ready using the sugar water from the sliced lemons, add the juice of a lemon to it with 1/4 cup of additional sugar and simmer until is a bit thickened. Pour slowly over the cake.

Their recipe is packed full of amazing recipes, Please do see it for yourself.

YIELD

Makes 4 to 6 servings

ACTIVE TIME

15 Minutes

TOTAL TIME

5 1/4 Hours

INGREDIENTS

2 onions, peeled and quartered

2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 fennel bulb, cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick wedges

1 garlic head, unpeeled, sliced in half crosswise

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 tablespoon finely ground Turkish coffee or espresso

1 tablespoon smoked cinnamon or regular cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

One 3 1/2- to 4-pound brisket, (first or second cut; Solomonov prefers well-marbled second cut)

Special equipment:

Heavy, large roasting pan

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place onions, potatoes, carrot, fennel, and garlic in a heavy roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a small bowl, combine coffee, cinnamon, cardamom, remaining 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Rub all over brisket and nestle brisket into vegetables to rest on bottom of pan. Roast until vegetables are lightly browned, 45 minutes.

Cover tightly with foil, lower oven to 300°F, and roast until fork-tender (you should be able to insert a roasting fork in the center and twist slightly with little resistance), 4 1/2 to 5 hours for first cut and 5 1/2 to 6 hours for second cut. As the brisket cooks, check on it every 45 minutes, adding 1/4 cup water to the pan if it starts to look dry. When the brisket is cooked, remove roasting pan from oven, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate with the vegetables until fat is solid, 8 to 24 hours. Transfer brisket to a cutting board and slice across the grain. Skim and discard fat in the roasting pan. Return brisket slices to the roasting pan with the vegetables and cooking juices.

To serve, preheat oven to 300°F. Transfer roasting pan to oven and heat brisket until liquid is melted and brisket and vegetables are just warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the brisket and vegetables to a serving dish, cover with foil, and reserve. Set the roasting pan over two burners on the stovetop and simmer the liquid over medium heat until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the thickened pan juices over the brisket and serve.

Today after waiting two VERY long excited/anxious weeks I finally received my new cookbook. Palestine on a plate.

We used to live next door to a couple from Palestine and she used to make such delicious foods. I have missed her food so buying this book was a MUST. And now, them delicious recipes are all in my bookshelf =D

This book is a very generous 240 page volume of some of her favourite meals. SADLY there is no mansaf inside this book which I am completely heartbroken about but there’s another Palestinian book I want to buy which I hope will contain the elusive recipe that’s missing from this one. Mansaf is known as the official dish of Jordan so I am actually quite surprised that it was not included in this book. Oh well – this book is incredible without it and i’m sure i’ll be cooking many of the recipes over and over again.

You can buy this book from many places online but I purchased it at The Book Depository. It’s where I generally go for books. Reliable service and i’ve never been disappointed in their delivery or their packaging. You’ll enjoy shopping there also.

This week I plan to purchase another cookbook to add to my very large collection. This book is a Lebanese cookbook called Taste of Beirut.

I love Lebanese food as much as I love most other Arabian foods. There is so much to love about Arabic cuisines that it makes buying cookbooks such an exciting pursuit. I’m looking forward to this Lebanese cookbook very much and I’m hoping that it will have a particular lamb mince, fragranced rice inside of it that we get when we buy Lebanese food in restaurants. I’ll cry if it’s not in there hahaha

Do you have a favourite cook book? please share with me what it is. I have so many wonderful cookbooks and i’m always looking to add to my collection.

Method:
1. De-skin the chicken, cut into 12 pieces at the joints, clean, wash, drain and keep aside.
2. Heat a tblspn of butter in a big pot and add the diced onion to it.
3. When the onions sweat a little add the chicken to the pan followed by the spices and mix well. Keep turning over and brown the chicken in the pan.
3. Add 3 – 4 cups of water and let it cook for sometime till the chicken is done.
4.Slice the egg plants and potatoes separately. Rub a little salt and keep them aside for sometime. The egg plants sweat a little on rubbing salt. Press them gently to drain the water and wipe with paper towels. This way they don’t absorb oil when frying.
5. Deep fry them separately. Drain on paper towels.
6. Boil water in another pot. Add the basmati rice. When the rice is 80% cooked, drain well, then add the spices to the rice, mix well and set aside.
7. Take a small round roaster and grease it with some butter (1tspn) on the inside. Then sprinkle a little of the spiced rice at the bottom.
8. Now spread a layer of the chicken pieces (reserve the broth) on top of the sprinkled rice.
9. Then spread a layer of baked/fried egg plant on top of the chicken. Then a layer of potatoes on top of the egg plant or you can layer both together – one eggplant and one potato slice, all stacked together.
10. Finally add the spiced rice on top. Press the rice with a lid and then pour the reserved broth on top of the rice. Close the roaster lid and put it in the pre-heated oven (at 350 degrees fahrenheit) for 15 mins till you see the steam gushing out as soon as you open the lid. You have to be careful when you are opening the lid and avoid keeping your face close to the roaster.
11. Keep a round serving platter ready. Remove roaster lid and close it with the serving platter.
12. Put your oven gloves on (thick insulated ones) and holding the roaster bottom with one hand and the top of the closed serving platter with the other, overturn the roaster carefully on to the serving platter and slowly rest the serving platter on the counter top. Remember it is very hot so you have to do it very carefully and tactfully balancing it really well. Otherwise ask someone to help you.
13. Let this rest for 2 mins. Take a serving spoon and tap the roaster on the top and all the sides slowly to release the makhlooba from sticking to the roaster.
14. Uncover the roaster slowly. Lo and behold! You have the whole makhlooba with the chicken on the top like a cake. It looks beautiful, smells great and tastes heavenly. Hmm, so yummy! Enjoy.

Combine the chicken tenders with all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl or ziplock bag. Mix until chicken tenders are evenly coated. Refrigerate for however long you have, I left it for 30 mins you can leave it as long as you can.

Make the crumbs by mixing the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix until well combined, then add the milk and stir with a fork until mixture is evenly clumpy/crumbly.

Get a plate or tray ready. Put tenders into the crumbs one or a few at a tome (depends how but your bowl is). Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the crumbs so clumps stick to the meat. (It’s best to use one hand to remove the tenders from the bag and the other to toss in the crumbs). Put crumbed tenders on the tray.

Line another tray with a few layers of paper towels and set aside. Add oil to a pan I put about 1 or 2 cm high oil. Heat just above medium heat (5/9). Fry a few at a time until golden brown on both sides, flip only once. Put cooked tenders on paper towels to drain.

I love Arabic food, and Kefta is one of my all-time favourites. You can buy Kefta mince already made in some butchers or you can easily make it yourself. Google will give you hundreds of wonderfully different ways. I hope you’ll love this recipe here from Hanan in a cooking group I’m in.

Preheat oven to medium heat

2. Using your hands, divide the Kafta into balls, each the size of an egg, and then flatten each ball into a circle to obtain kafta patties

3. In a baking pan, arrange the Kafta patties one next to the other.

4. And put them in the Oven

5. While the Kafta is in the oven Cut Vegetables (i put Potatoes, tomatoes,Capsicum and Onions) Once Kafta looks cooked take out of the oven

6. Put the capsicum and onions over the Kefta then place the potato slices as a layer on top.

7. Then pour a can or 2 of diced italian tomato (depending on how much you have made) dissolved a bit of tomato paste, salt, pepper and water mix well and then pour evenly over the baking pan and sprinkle dried mint over the food.

8. Cover the baking tray (saniyi) and then place it on stove on high until the sauce for the dish starts to boil. Once it starts to boil cook on low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

Method:
1) put the can of condensed milk to boil in water (DO NOT OPEN THE CAN), keep topping up the water as it evaporates it will need to boil for roughly 2hrs, to speed up the process you could put it in your pressure cooker for 30 minutes.

2) crush biscuits in a bowl and melt the butter in 30 second bursts in the microwave, then combine with the crushed biscuits and peanut butter. mix until you get a wet crumb consistency.

3) transfer crumb mixture to tart pan and press down with the bottom of a glass ensuring its evenly spread out; as well as up the sides. Put into frisge to cool while condensed milk is cooking.

4) when the condensed milk is done allow to cool and open can, at this point youll need to take a small fork and mix the thick fudge like product in the can very fast to remove any lumps and ensure its creamy.

5) pour into biscuit case and spread evenly with back of spoon. Return to fridge to cool for 15-20 minutes.

6) in a bowl put the chocolate and thickened cream then heat in microwave for 30 sec then mix until all the chocolate is melted. Pour over the top of the choc fudge mixture in the tart.

7) sprinkle with crushed peanuts and leave in fridge overnight. (Note: you can eat it right away but i find it to be EVEN BETTER after spending a night in the fridge)